| Al Spangler | |
|---|---|
 Spangler in 1961 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1933-07-08)July 8, 1933 (age 92) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1959, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 11, 1971, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 175 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Albert Donald Spangler (born July 8, 1933) is an American formerMajor League Baseballoutfielder andcoach.[1] Spangler appeared in 912games in the majors between1959 and1971 for theMilwaukee Braves,Houston Colt .45s / Astros,Los Angeles / California Angels, andChicago Cubs. Born inPhiladelphia, he threw and batted left-handed, and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).
Spangler, nicknamed "Spanky", attendedPhiladelphia'sOlney High School. After turning down a professional contract offer from theChicago White Sox, he was slated to attendLafayette College inEaston, Pennsylvania, with a full scholarship, but decided to attendDuke University. He was an All-American college selection after his junior year asBlue Devil, thanks to his .406batting average.[2]
Not quite four weeks before his 21st birthday, Spangler signed as a free agent with the Braves on June 14, 1954. He made hisMLB debut on September 16,1959, and would go on to play his final game on September 11,1971.[1]
After spending both1960 and1961 as a reserve outfielder for Milwaukee, Spangler was drafted by the Houston Colt .45s as a premium selection in the1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft. He was the Colt .45s' startingcenter fielder in the club's first major-league game, played against the Cubs on April 10,1962. Batting second in the order, he drove in the firstrun in franchise history with aRBItriple in the bottom of the firstinning off Cubs'starting pitcherDon Cardwell, knocking in teammateBob Aspromonte.[3] His .285 mark during the Colt .45s' maiden season was second by .001 to fellow outfielderRomán Mejías' .286,[4] but the following year Spangler was the team's batting average leader at .281 in 120 games played.[5][6]
After his hitting declined in both1964 (.245) and1965 (.214), Spangler was traded to the Angels on June 1, 1965.[7] He appeared in only 57 games (starting 20) for the Angels over the next season and a half, and spent most of1966 atTriple-ASeattle. Released by the Angels on February 13,1967, Spangler signed with the Cubs as a free agent three days later. Although he spent part of 1967 and1970 at Triple-ATacoma, Spangler played the rest of his big-league tenure with the Cubs. On June 12,1969, he hit twohome runs and drove in four runs in a 12 to 6 victory over theAtlanta Braves.[8]
The Cubs released Spangler as an active player after the1970 season and named him tomanagerLeo Durocher's coaching staff for1971. On August 30, 1971, he was added to the team's active list, andpinch hit five times during the month of September, garnering twohits. That brief stint concluding his MLB career. In his 912 games played, Spangler batted .262 with 21 career home runs and 175 runs batted in. His 594 hits also included 87doubles and 26 triples.
Spangler remained with the Cubs' organization for another three seasons; he managed in theirfarm system in 1972 and 1973, then returned to their big-league coaching staff in 1974 for a final season.[9]